Three Kentuckians have filed suit to overturn the state’s ban on medical marijuana.
The plaintiffs argue that the ban runs afoul of the Kentucky Constitution’s protections on individual liberty and prohibitions against arbitrary conduct by the government.
Danny Belcher is among those bringing the suit. The Vietnam War veteran told a state government committee in 2014 that marijuana eased the symptoms of his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
"I'm just an average combat veteran who's nothing special, but if marijuana will help one veteran out here get over those nightmares, the memory loss... if it gives a quality life back, why not do it instead of drugging these veterans up, destroying their liver, their lifestyle?" he told the panel.
The suit highlights decriminalization efforts that have rolled back marijuana laws in many states – and calls on Kentucky to join the movement.
The plaintiffs have enlisted the representation of Louisville attorney Dan Canon, who was part of the legal team that successfully challenged the commonwealth’s same-sex marriage ban.
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